Opioid addiction

There are growing concerns that patients are becoming dependent on opioid-based painkillers following surgery.

There are growing concerns patients are becoming dependent on opioid-based painkillers following surgery.

A study shows at one Sydney hospital alone, prescriptions of highly addictive opioid-type medications - such as Endone - have jumped by more than 500 per cent in the past 11 years.

The audit of oxycodone immediate-release tablets on four wards at the hospital, published in journal Anaesthesia, also found 15 per cent of patients who had orthopedic surgery were still using them three months after their operation.

To address the issue, doctors at St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney are changing the way they prescribe opioids during and after surgery.

They want to try to reduce dependencies that can turn into bigger problems for patients down the track.

Patients George Bramis, 59, underwent knee surgery at the hospital and was discharged with panadol and anti-inflammatories.

Bramis told 7NEWS that becoming dependent on strong painkillers after his knee replacement was a big concern for him.

"I'm keen to try to get off the drugs as soon as a possibly can," Bramis said.

More than two thirds (70 per cent) of the deaths were due to strong prescription painkillers rather than heroin.

In 2016, accidental deaths from pain killers nationally reached 788.

New measures

A global review detailing the role of surgery in the opioid crisis, published in The Lancet in April, prompted calls for a raft of new patient measures including more specialist pain clinics and drug 'take back' events across the country.

The Lancet paper warns chronic post-surgical pain is a growing problem as the population ages and more surgeries are done.

According to Professor Paul Myles, Director of the Department of Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Medicine at the Alfred Hospital and Monash University, there is "compelling evidence" that poorly controlled acute pain after surgery can lead to chronic post-surgical pain.

“To reduce the increased risk of opioid misuse for surgery patients, we call for a comprehensive approach to reduce opioid prescriptions, increase use of alternative medications, reduce leftover opioids in the home, and educate patients and clinicians about the risks and benefits of opioids.”